Seattle scrape past Kansas City 1-0 in opener

AP , Associated Press

Mar. 9, 20141:02 AM ET

SEATTLE (AP) — Chad Barrett scored in the final moments of second half-stoppage time to give the Seattle Sounders a 1-0 victory over champions Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in the Major League Soccer season opener.

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, upper right, leaps to make a stop as he tangles with Seattle Sounders' Chad Marshall, third from left, and Kenny Cooper, second from lower right, along with Sporting KC's Matt Besler, right, and Dom Dwyer, fourth from left, in the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, March 8, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Seattle Sounders' Dylan Remick, right, battles for the ball with Sporting Kansas City's C.J. Sapong, second from right, in the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, March 8, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Members of the Emerald City Supporters and other fan groups burn smoke devices as they take part in the traditional "March to the Match" before the Seattle Sounders season-opening MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City, Saturday, March 8, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Members of the Emerald City Supporters and other fan groups sing as they take part in the traditional "March to the Match" before the Seattle Sounders season-opening MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City, Saturday, March 8, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Members of the Emerald City Supporters and other fan groups sing as they take part in the traditional "March to the Match" before the Seattle Sounders season-opening MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City, Saturday, March 8, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Members of the Emerald City Supporters and other fan groups burn smoke devices as they take part in the traditional "March to the Match" before the Seattle Sounders season-opening MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City, Saturday, March 8, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Barrett scored in his Sounders debut after former Tottenham and Fulham star Clint Dempsey's header rebounded off the crossbar and goalkeeper Eric Kronberg was caught out of position.

It was the fifth time in the past eight matches that Seattle has shocked Kansas City with a goal in stoppage time. Dempsey came on in the 57th minute just a few days after playing 90 minutes for the U.S. national team in a friendly against Ukraine in Cyprus.

Federico Higuain scored twice to help Columbus open the season with a 3-0 victory over D.C. United in Gregg Berhalter's first game as the Crew's coach.

Higuain scored in the 27th on a penalty kick after referee Andres Pfefferkorn ruled United's Perry Kitchen pulled down Michael Parkhurst inside the penalty area. Higuain scored again in the 90th after a perfect cross from substitute Justin Meram.

Elsewhere, Scotland international Kenny Miller scored twice and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat the New York Red Bulls 4-1 to give Carl Robinson a victory in his first game as the team's head coach before a sellout crowd of 21,000 at B.C. Place Stadium.

Miller scored in the 34th and 70th minutes. Second-half substitute Pedro Morales also scored, while Sebastian Fernandez added the fourth for the Whitecaps late in the second half.

Bradley Wright-Phillips scored for New York with two minutes left.

In Dallas, Mauro Diaz scored and set up another as FC Dallas held on to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Impact.

Diaz helped Dallas take a 2-1 lead in the 24th minute when he cut into the box in front of Jeb Brovsky and was pulled down from behind by the defender. Blas Perez, Dallas' leading scorer last season, rifled the penalty kick past Tony Perkins.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Diaz converted a right-footed, 20-yard free kick over the Impact wall to make it 3-1, but Andrew Wenger reduced the deficit for Montreal, scoring from a header in the 65th minute.

Earlier, Montreal opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Sanna Nyassi finished Justin Mapp's cross, before Fabian Castillo equalized for Dallas in the 16th minute.

Will Bruin scored twice in the Houston Dynamo's 4-0 rout of the New England Revolution.

Bruin opened the scoring in the second minute before doubling his tally in the 13th minute, smashing home a cross from Corey Ashe.

Boniek Garcia scored in the 23rd minute off Bruin's pass, before Omar Cummings completed the rout in second half stoppage time.

In late games Saturday, the Portland Timbers drew 1-1 with the Philadelphia Union and Real Salt Lake had a 1-0 win over the L.A. Galaxy.

SEATTLE (AP) — Chad Barrett scored in the final moments of second half-stoppage time to give the Seattle Sounders a 1-0 victory over champions Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in the Major League Soccer season opener.